Abbi Pulling says her F1 Academy title win is “priceless” after it helped to secure her seat for next season.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Pulling highlighted the real pressures on young drivers trying to progress to the highest echelons in motorsport after wrapping up the championship in Qatar last weekend.
Pullng had to win 18 points in the next four races but she did so at the first time of asking, which leaves her clear to race the rest of the season with no pressure.
“I didn’t qualify where I needed to finish. I had to move forward, otherwise I wouldn’t have won the championship there. It was a little bit of pressure,” she told Sky Sports.
“I didn’t quite have the legs to get into the lead but it was all I needed to do.”
The reality is that not winning the championship would have put next season in jeopardy for the 21-year-old.
“I’ve had to pull out of seasons of racing – 2021 was a big one. I couldn’t afford to carry on.
“It’s so important for me. Next year, my season was really uncertain if I didn’t win.
“I came into this year knowing I had to win, I had to get that prize to compete in GB3 next season. It was tough but I’ve really took it in my stride. Racing next year – the dream continues and that’s priceless to me.”
That prize will be to compete in the GB3 championship – aimed at drivers moving up from Formula 4.
Pulling competed in British F4 as well as the F1 Academy this year, becoming the first British woman to win an F4 race, at Brands Hatch.
In Singapore for the F1 Academy, she won every race and scored almost every point on the table.
While the future is bright – at least for 2025, driving for Rodin Motorsport – she is realistic about the ultimate dream.
“Any young driver will tell you they want to get to Formula 1 and I’m no different.
“Obviously I’ve got an association with the Alpine F1 team – being on their Academy helps.
“I’m also open-minded. There’s only 20 drivers who get to Formula 1 – it’s really tough to get there and even the best drivers sometimes don’t.
“You’ve just got to be in the right place at the right time sometimes.”
